MasterCard launches ‘selfie’ payments for mobile shoppers
Facial recognition technology will allow customers to complete payments without the need for passwords or PINs
The selfie feature makes smartphone cameras an integral security element
MasterCard has launched a new mobile application that allows online shoppers to verify their identities through facial recognition scans and fingerprints. The new technology removes the need for passwords in the payment process, making online purchases less time-consuming and potentially more secure.
When customers arrive at a digital checkout to complete their payments, users of the app will be greeted by a pop-up on their device, through which they can confirm their identity by either taking a ‘selfie’ photo or scanning their fingerprint. The selfie image is then mapped against a previously stored photo to ensure that the customer’s identity is correct.
“We are relentlessly focused on making the online payment experience near-frictionless, without making any compromises on safety and security”, said Ajay Bhalla, MasterCard’s President of Enterprise Risk and Security.
Users of the app will be greeted by a pop-up on their device, through which they can confirm their identity by taking a selfie
“This is a significant milestone in the evolution of payments. Shopping in person has been revolutionised thanks to advances like contactless cards, mobile payments and wearables, and now we are making Identity Check Mobile a reality for online shopping in Europe, and soon, the world.” The card-issuer’s biometric technology is now available in 12 European countries, following successful trials in the US, the Netherlands and Canada.
Emerging payment technologies have already transformed how customers pay for goods. Bolstered by the growth of ever-more-convenient apps and mobile retail sites, online shopping is now the world’s fastest growing payment channel, valued at around $1.5trn in 2015. It is anticipated that consumers will make 195 billion transactions using their mobile devices by 2019, while increased global internet and smartphone access will make online shopping available to a host of new customers in upcoming years.
Building on the success of its existing payment technologies, MasterCard hopes that its pioneering selfie service will allow it to increasingly tap into this blossoming market. As consumer demand grows for efficient and secure mobile processes, such biometric technologies may just set MasterCard apart from its digital payment rivals.
